The premise of this is just as fascinating and riveting as you'd expect. Vera is a golem, made with clay and parts of her creators dead daughter. Vera has some of her memories and emotions. Set in Lithuania during the end of World War II, "Wrath Becomes Her" follows a group of Jewish partisan fighters who fight against Nazis by derailing supply trains.

Vera struggles with her purpose and what it means to be human. How do you not give up hope when all seems lost?

This was much more violent and scary than I usually liked but I was so gripped by the characters that I didn't even mind. The ending really surprised me; it was a brilliant way to wrap everything up. This was a masterpiece. Polydoros is truly an underrated author.

Wrath Becomes Her, by Aden Polydoros, was such an amazing book, I've never read anything like that before.

I was initially interested in the story because of Vera the golem, and how she was bent on revenge on her creators behalf. I've read stories with golems in them before and I've always found their history to be interesting. The story ended up being so much more than that to me. I really want to say what I enjoyed about the story, but I feel like it will give away a big portion of Vera's character development. What I will say is she knows how to kick some major Nazi butt and I would happily read anything by this author again.

I was drawn by the premise of a revengeful golem Nazi killer and the interesting cover but I realized that this book was not for me. I had to force myself to read through it and it took me forever to finish it.

I found the pacing slow and confusing. I didn’t much care for the characters. For the title be “Wrath Becomes Her”, I did not much feel the rage within the character and I actually found it disappointing.

I liked that it tried to show how humans are sometimes worse than what you’ll consider monsters. I kinda enjoyed Vera’s self-exploration, but it just lacked something that I could not exactly pinpoint.

I started to be more invested towards the end that I was actually looking forward to Vera & “Akiva’s” reunion, but I felt like it just ended abruptly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wrath Becomes Her blew me away, for the most part. It has a fantastic premise that it more than delivers on. The characters were compelling and complex. The plot was intriguing, although it dragged in parts. The writing was beautiful. I’d recommend it to anyone who is looking for a different kind of WWII story with Jewish characters, as well as any historical fiction or fantasy fan.

A title like Wrath Becomes Her promises a vengeful and angry woman, but Vera moseyed her way through this book.

Vera was created for the sole purpose of vengeance. After losing his daughter, Chaya, a father takes part in dark magic to create a golem to track down his daughter’s killer. The golem, Vera, upon awakening, knows her sole purpose is to kill the Nazis. On her mission, she meets Akiva, Chaya’s former lover, and forms a bond with him. Akiva is out for blood, determined to avenge Chaya’s death on his way down. The two are faced with a creature much like Vera, except it has nefarious intentions. Vera must use her strength and rage to defeat the foul creature before it slaughters hundreds.

I have yet to be let down by Polydoros when it comes to historical fantasy. He brings to light Jewish folklore and history in a way I’m not seeing in the YA market. Wrath Becomes Her does not shy away from the brutal and horrific treatment of Jewish people, not just by Nazis, but by other communities. This book inspires feelings of rage and disgust for how often others were turning a blind eye to the Jewish community’s suffering. It did a great job of pointing out how one does not have to actively participate in mistreatment in order to condone it.

The book’s pitch grossly exaggerates Vera’s “rage.” She is supposed to be incensed on Chaya’s behalf but seems detached from the actual emotions. In fact, when Vera kills, she talks about how the rage and anger are not her own. Instead of going on a rampage, she just follows orders, first from the father, and then Akiva. The book keeps emphasizing she can feel emotions as a golem, yet none of those emotions are natural. The book tells us how she feels instead of showing her natural reactions to emotionally charged scenarios. I was bummed, because if there was ever a character to feel righteous wrath, it should be Vera.

All in all, not my favorite novel by Polydoros, but it brings to light important historical times in a way that will engage those who prefer fantasy over non-fiction.

Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

YA readers who enjoy dark historical fantasies will enjoy this book. The characterization wasn't very good, but the setting and plot are excellent.

The emotions in this book. This is a unique take on the vengeance of a father who lost his daughter in WWII. He creates a Golem, Vera, who, while containing some of the daughters' real memories and feelings, is still a tool used to kill the Nazis responsible for her death.

This shook me! The emotions, the fear and anger that absolutely defines this era, this war. I adored the lyrical and beautiful writing that made the pain of this story so real. I think this is such an interesting take on a topic that will always, and should, stay in our minds as being a part of history we must never repeat.

Out October 10, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

"Do you think you have the right to decide that? What gives you the power to choose whether something deserves to live or die?"
A dark book that dealt with so much death.
This was the story of a young Jewish girl killed by a Nazi. Her father uses her remaining body parts to create a golem (Vera) that looks human and has the sole purpose of destroying the Nazis, of delivering justice, retribution.
Vera being made of human parts learns empathy, begins to see memories from the human life making being a golem a confusing thing. When her creator/father goes missing she sets out on a journey to find him.
This book is about that journey. All the trouble she encounters, Nazis she kills, feelings and emotion she begins to develop.
In this book we are struck by the question of who is the monster? Humans or golems? Who gets to decide who lives and who dies?
Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for an advanced e-copy of Wrath Becomes Her. This was a long, sad journey. With so much death I would not recommend this book be part of a classroom. While this was an entertaining journey routing for Vera and her struggle to be resolved there was not much insight into the history of everything going on in the Jewish community at this time. Great Fall time read for enjoyment purposes.

Ok, first of all, THAT COVER GOES SO HARD. Second, HOOOOO ADEN POLYDOROS CAN *WRITE.*

Anyway. Yes. It's taken me such a long time to write this review, because honestly, I'm not sure what words I can use to do this justice. The atmosphere is unparalleled, cold and dark and somehow all the more beautiful despite the bleakness and violence. It's bone-deep sad, but also angry and comforting and the equivalent of a sigh after a shouting match. Fierce, unique, and unforgiving: so many words, but Polydoros deserves them all and more.

This is the WW2 dark fantasy/revenge horror/star-crossed romance that YA deserves. Actually, it's the kind of book I'll be throwing at everyone who claims YA is somehow "lesser" than adult fiction.

Fight me, cowards. Better yet, fight Vera.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for a copy of Wrath Becomes Her in exchange for an honest review. This cover is absolutely amazing.

Frankenstein with a vengeance vs. Nazis.
Vera, a golem made from dark magic by a father using his deceased daughters body parts, is out for vengeance on behalf of her creator. A mixture of historical fiction, fantasy, and Jewish/Hebrew folklore. I think the book would have been easier to get into in the beginning if there was a reference sheet to words such as golem, kishuf, etc. While the premise is so intriguing I had a few issues with the plot. The book is beautifully written and while I enjoyed the book I had hopes for this story because I wanted the ultimate female badass to have no remorse on going on killing sprees. However Vera is plagued with the memories of the woman whose body parts were used to create her, Chaya.
Personally I would have liked for Vera to be a lone wolf and not run into Akiva so early on in the book and immediately stick with him. I feel that lead to Vera not fully developing into the amazing character she could be.
The premise is amazing and as someone who never read Hebrew folklore it definitely opened my eyes to new mythical beings.

This was good! It was very interesting throughout and I really enjoyed it. The gollum aspect was so unique and well done, and the added Frankenstein elements made for a firecracker of a read. I liked the writing a lot and found it to be captivating. I definitely need to read more from this author ASAP!

Thank you Inkyard Press, Harper Collins, and Netgalley for this eARC. These opinions are my own. I have become a fan of Aden Polydoros and this book was a good addition! Ezra is heartbroken over the death of his daughter so using magic he creates Vera, a golem. His goal is to use her to get vengeance against those who killed his daughter. But Vera has her own feelings is this what she wants? I enjoyed the historical knowledge and look at Jewish folklore in this one. I also enjoyed that the events take place during WWII. I loved that though Vera was created to seek vengeance she struggles with her identity and her emotions with Chaya’s (Ezra’s daughter) included. I felt like the grief really showed through and the look at coping with loss. It hooks you from the first page and will have you reading until you finish! Can’t wait to read it again!

<b>A beautifully written WWII based fantasy</b>

I chose to pick up this book because I really enjoyed the author's previous book, Bone Weaver. Outside of the realization that it's harder for me to get into fantasy books now, this didn't disappoint.

I haven't read much historical fiction and definitely little based in WWII, so this was very interesting. It takes place in Lithuania, which is an area I honestly haven't heard much about, especially not in the context of the Holocaust.

I enjoyed the character of Vera, and empathized with her existential struggles. Even though she wasn't human, she still embodied so much humanity. I constantly wondered what her future was going to be, or even what it could be.

Specifically, there's a moment when Vera realizes the scope of the war, and how little they can do in the grand scheme of things. I really felt that, since we're fighting on new fronts now (and some of the current struggles are continued from that time as well) and sometimes it feels hopeless. Like Vera though, we can't give up.

I'm also a sucker for stories based in mythology from various cultures, and feel there needs to be more tales like this, especially. It was definitely different than other golem stories I've seen and read.

Once again, Aden Polydoros has crafted a wonderfully vibrant world, and brought to life an under represented mythos. I can't wait to see what he does next!

What an incredible book!

Wrath Becomes Her centers on Vera, a golem created by a grieving father to avenge his daughter's death at the hands of the Nazis. She must come to terms with her identity - created for one thing, but capable of so much more. She deals with not only the grief she inherited by design, but grief for those she meets and loses.

This book grapples with some heavy themes - love, loss, grief, identity, and self-determination among them. This is a very deeply Jewish book, full of characters dealing with the worst imaginable situations and refusing to give up or lie down quietly no matter the cost. Similar to some of the author's other books, grief - especially as it manifests as anger - features prominently and resonated strongly with me.

This was an extremely powerful story. I've read all of Polydoros' books, and I think this is my favorite so far; I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

Ooh, another impactful spooky read from Polydoros! I was so sucked in at the beginning of this book, watching Vera become aware and start trying to figure out who she is and whether she has a purpose was really well done.

The characters overall were excellent, as was the setting and the writing - the only thing that lost me slightly was the plot, it seemed unclear what the actual goal was. I think if you go into this expecting a character-driven story you'll have the correct expectations, I was kind of expecting a Wolf by Wolf type story where we actually overthrow the Nazis and it's definitely a story on a smaller scale.

I also like that it was set in Lithuania - it's good to get a different perspective on the horrors of WW2.

I really enjoyed how this book explored themes about what makes someone human and the cruelty and resistance/will to live of humanity. I also really liked how Vera navigated discovering her own emotions vs those she was created with and carving out her own sense of identity.

It's also nice to see a WWII historical fiction book centering Jewish protagonists as heroes and exploring the complicity and collaboration of non-Jewish civilians and military with the Nazis during WWII- it's not a part of history often recognised in U.S. schools, unfortunately.

First, I want to say thank you to NetGalley for giving me free access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have adored every book I have read by Aden Polydoros and he does not disappoint with this newest book. Like with the other books I have read by him, there is history that gives backdrop to the story. There are magic/fantasy elements. And there are deep questions about what makes someone a monster. And like with all his books I've read thus far, the characters are deep and well developed. I love how Polydoros integrates in folklore and beliefs and crafts them into something that feels like it honors and respects those stories and beliefs.

However, with this book being set during WWII, it is significantly heavier than his other books.

Seeing the journey Vera takes to learn about why she exists and to decide how she will use this life she has is powerful. The people she comes to cherish, the reader comes to cherish. And even though her struggles to understand her reason for being come about for reasons that are very dissimilar to any of us, it yet feels like a relatable struggle all the same.

To be honest, it took me a long time to get through this book because I had to keep putting it down due to the heaviness of the story. But I am would and will read it again. And for those who are in a mental place to read a book with the heavy topics within (WWII, antisemitism, violence, death, murder), it is one well worth your time reading.

I really enjoyed this book and I knew I would because it was dedicated to "all those people who have ever wanted to punch a nazi". And I am one of those people. I liked the idea that this was an Inglorious Basterds + Frankenstein mashup and that had me set to go right away. Vera was a cool character who brought up many big questions about existence and G-d and all that noise, but in a way that allowed the reader to actually ponder those questions in a thoughtful manner. Akiva was okay. Typical love interest character with a penchant for killing nazis (which I'm all for). I guess I was a little bummed that Vers put so much aside for him, or seemed to, and that gets inflated toward the end even more when all I really wanted was this thoughtful golem out for effing vengeance. And that brings me to my minus-a-star review, as it seems that I loved this book:

I took away a star because, honestly, I wanted to see more nazis get what they deserved. I get the whole notion that things need to be built and developed for the story to proceed in a thoughtful manner, and I hold nothing against Polydoros for writing this novel that way, but... reading about a whole regiment of nazis getting torn limb from limb, maybe some "Game of Thrones" style head crushing action taking place, anything more than the few nondescript deaths that we got would have been nice. Clearly, this would of complicated things for Vera, her being a thinking being and all, but man, it would've been cool to read that. Anyway, I think this is a really great read and I endorse it and would recommend it to my students, wholeheartedly.

In Wrath Becomes Her, Polydoros cements himself as a master of the disquiet. A sense of wrongness permeates this story, which ends up being more of a meditation on humanity and monstrosity than it does vengeful Nazi killing romp. Don't get me wrong, Nazis do get killed, but don't come into this story expecting a lot of action. It moves slowly, quietly, hauntingly as Vera struggles to understand what it means to be human and what truly makes one monstrous. This is a story that will make you ache not just with the beauty of its prose but also the brutality of its truth, the sorrow of its world, and strength of its characters. A worthwhile read for anyone looking for a solid WWII story with a focus on Jewish resistance. ARC provided by NetGalley.

I loved the intricacies of this historical fantasy; the world-building was so dynamic and felt so real because of the level of detail and attention to historical accuracy. At the same time, it was very emotional.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc to review.